"I Can Clean My Own Vagina Now": Updates on Previous People Featured

[dahling]

19 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I consider myself a fairly educationed person, but grocery stores have nutritionists? On staff? WHICH chains do this? Please tell me more!

HEB, a huge and amazing Texas grocery chain, has them.  I even did a metabolic test with one of them for $35.

[QuinnInND]

HEB is the bomb!! I miss it so much!! 

[stephinmn]

On 1/20/2015 at 4:14 PM, PityFree said:

I was looking at Penny's twitter and noticed that she had put up a pic of her "progress".

Hmmmm...not sure I would take health advice from a woman who can't get out of bed. (She is right about farm raised tilapia, but still...)

[CoachWristletJen]

I would be very interested in knowing how Penny was doing. I'd like to think that she was shaken up by Robert's story, but she's probably lying there (two meanings to that word there), telling herself, "Thank goodness I don't weigh 900 pounds! I'm safe."

[CoachWristletJen]

On 1/29/2018 at 9:52 PM, stephinmn said:

Hmmmm...not sure I would take health advice from a woman who can't get out of bed. (She is right about farm raised tilapia, but still...)

The tilapia reminds me of another morbidly obese woman that I know. She's not nonambulatory, but she had the bypass surgery and declared it to be the worst mistake of her life because she gained all the weight back but I digress. Anyway, she makes it a point to carry her own clean, scrubbed organic lemon slices to restaurants because lemons are 'unusually dirty' and you don't want them floating around in your drink unless you know they're really clean. Now, she's right, but while she's obsessing over her lemons she's also steadily gaining more and more weight and popping Ambien like M&M's.

[CoachWristletJen]

Okay I'm actually watching Penny's story for the first time in a few years. My questions: What's up with that weird noise she emitted every time she was hoisted onto her feet or onto the scale? It sounded like a cross between a whine and a cry and a grunt. And, was I the only one who wanted to smack her every time she emitted that noise?

Oh, Penny, get your asses back to Houston and start working with Dr. Now again for real! Liam needs his mother!

[GGFan]

Would love to see a counseling session with her and Dr. Paradise!! 

[CoachWristletJen]

Looks like we might be getting an update on Lupe. They keep showing that shot of her lying in bed doing the arm weights super fast. Does anyone else find it odd looking? Like, it's great that she can move her arms so fast, but why doesn't she do it sitting up, or even, dare I say, standing up?

I'm sure the producers had other footage of her doing all kinds of exercises and they picked the weirdest looking one they could find to use over and over in the previews cause that's how they roll...

It's good to see her exercising though. And, at least it's paying off for her. She's found her yellow brick road.

On 1/29/2018 at 9:52 PM, stephinmn said:

Hmmmm...not sure I would take health advice from a woman who can't get out of bed. (She is right about farm raised tilapia, but still...)

Looks like Penny's got her tweets protected so it's just her profile picture of her hiding behind Liam. 

One thing she's got going for her is she's got almost abnormally narrow shoulders that give her an illusion of looking smaller than she really is if Edgar gets the camera angle just right. 

Given the fact that she lost no weight after the doctor removed 80% of her stomach, I'm guessing she's probably gained quite a bit more by now which is why she refuses to do a follow-up.

BTW, I really like that Lupe has found herself a new man, and that she's vamping it up with the makeup and stuff, really enjoying her new body. Nice to see it paying off for her!

[BuyMoreAndSave]

On 5/21/2017 at 4:56 PM, leighroda said:

I have kinda a general question, and I wasn't sure where to put it, so I ended up here in case anyone had some insight. 

As we know therapy is usually a part of the process... but almost every person on the show is reluctant to see a therapist. I have a biased opinion, I've been in therapy for years and I'm a proponent that everyone could benefit from therapy to some degree, not necessarily at any regular interval, but at one time or another her most people could benefit from it.  

To some degree I get it, a lot of the issues covered on this show relate to food addiction, and I know addicts don't tend to want help because they don't see there being a problem, or they don't want the problem to be fixed, they want to keep their vice whatever it may be, or they are worried about what will be brought up. I just find it interesting that therapy seems to be one of the biggest fears in dr now's patients. 

I guess it's a "to each their own" thing... therapy isn't for everyone... but I find it interesting that across the board (at least on the show) they almost always say they don't want to see the therapist.

Sorry that this is an old question, but I have a response that hasn't been mentioned. Oftentimes people with chronic mental illness don't want to see a therapist simply because they've had so many bad experiences with therapists in the past and don't trust them. Unfortunately there's a lot of stigma against mental illness and even among therapists, many of them aren't really that great (especially if someone doesn't have good health insurance which probably most of these people have never had due to being on government assistance). Involuntary commitment is a bit of an extreme example, but that is something that can not only cause lifelong trauma but also destroy any trust in therapists and doctors or even people in general, sometimes for good. And even just the knowledge that a therapist has the authority to strip away someone's civil rights without due process based on hearsay is enough to cause an implicit distrust. A less extreme and more common reason for distrust is therapists and doctors who push medications that have debilitating side effects before even getting to know the person and trying other treatments first. And just in general, therapists not listening, acting in a belittling and condescending manner towards patients, etc. (for example when I was a teenager a psychiatrist told me that my "attitude sucked"...because I was depressed and suicidal due to social isolation and long-term parental abuse). While there are definitely many good therapists out there, probably almost every person with mental illness has had one or more experiences with a terrible one, or knows someone who has. If someone doesn't want to go to therapy, that doesn't necessarily mean that they "don't want to be helped" or refuse to admit they have a problem. They could just think that it will cause more harm than good.

 

And that's not even getting into the fact that therapy is ineffective for many people and they may have already tried it many times with no results...there is a quote that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results....

Edited April 26, 2018 by BuyMoreAndSave

[Elizzikra]

Quote

 I find it interesting that across the board (at least on the show) they almost always say they don't want to see the therapist.

I'm not sure how it works on the show, but in real life, another barrier to people seeking treatment is money. Even if you have health insurance, virtually no counselors/therapists will take it.  You have to pay upfront and then you get reimbursed by your insurance provider. So if you can't be out-of-pocket that money while you wait to be reimbursed, you don't see a therapist.

Another thing that isn't clear to me is whether patients on the show see a therapist more than once. We seem to only ever see the first appointment, which by itself wouldn't do much. Do they go on a regular basis and it just isn't shown?

[AntAnn]

21 hours ago, BuyMoreAndSave said:

I guess it's a "to each their own" thing... therapy isn't for everyone... but I find it interesting that across the board (at least on the show) they almost always say they don't want to see the therapist.

Well, I think it’s probably difficult for most (not all) to admit they need a therapist. Personally, I have gone through phases depending on the issue. Geez, it took 30 years to get my husband to go for long standing martial issues and now he’s the first to say its time to talk to Ted (our therapist.) 

I can believe Dr. Now’s patients are very scared to step out of their comfort zone and talk to someone. Most of them seem so isolated in their food habit. Some haven’t left their house for years or even meeting new people. Add to that a fear of being judged and maybe even chastised for their behavior. Scary stuff. 

[Minivanessa]

On 4/26/2018 at 8:53 PM, AntAnn said:

I can believe Dr. Now’s patients are very scared to step out of their comfort zone and talk to someone. Most of them seem so isolated in their food habit. Some haven’t left their house for years or even meeting new people. Add to that a fear of being judged and maybe even chastised for their behavior. Scary stuff. 

Taking this over to the small talk thread

[CoachWristletJen]

Good ol' Penny.

Edited May 15, 2018 by CoachWristletJen

[CoachWristletJen]

Good ol' Penny on the TV... I still wonder how she's doing. Her sister tearfully told the camera that she didn't think that Penny would make it another five years because of all of her health problems, and the show aired in January of 2014, meaning it was probably filmed over the course of 2013 (January to December of 2013). They might have even started as early as the end of 2012. So, it's been five years. I'm wondering if her lack of activity online is due to health complications. On the first show, Edgar says she's been in and out of the hospital. I'm sure that none of that has gotten any better, and even for indigents, they'll only pay for so much. 

I'm sure we all remember her telling Dr. Now, "No one told me I had to lose weight while I was here." Like, why would weight loss even be a priority? PENNY, IT'S THE ONLY REASON YOU'RE THERE.

She was at the brink of despair five years ago. Sad to think about what's happening to her nowadays.

This last photo... couldn't resist... so wrong it's right.  

I just got sooo frustrated with the way she treated poor Liam! And then justified it. She really threw away an opportunity that so many people would like to have had!

Do their stomachs stretch out again? It seems that some of them go back to eating every bit as much as they used to eat, and I wonder how they can do it after a huge portion of their stomachs has been cut out? It seems as though they would be at risk for rupturing something by abusing their insides the way that they do.. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by CoachWristletJen

[Caoimhe]

Did you see Penny’s follow up?  I don’t know when it was filmed, but she “gets up” (ie moves from the bed to a wheelchair) once a week or something.  Maybe it was every second day, that might be giving her too much credit.  But the highlight of the show was how she was so proud of keeping her promise to take her son trick or treating.  Which meant Edgar pushing her wheelchair from house to house while Liam went up to the doors and she shouted from the sidewalk.  That poor child.  

She also claimed to be doing either therapy or something online once a week (from her bed of course).  

Still she hasn’t quite reached the James K depths of loathsome-ness for me.

Edited May 15, 2018 by ThereButFor

[CoachWristletJen]

I did see it, and I don't believe she's doing any of that. 

Somehow Edgar pushing her chair up and down the street constituted exercise.

You're right in that she's not as loathsome as James K.

This last one is so wrong. Shame on me!

[Caoimhe]

5 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

I did see it, and I don't believe she's doing any of that. 

Somehow Edgar pushing her chair up and down the street constituted exercise.

You're right in that she's not as loathsome as James K.

This last one is so wrong. Shame on me!

Oh I wish I could like this a million times!

[Pretty5Vacant]

2 hours ago, CoachWristletJen said:

This last photo... couldn't resist... so wrong it'

Lol!

[CoachWristletJen]

1 hour ago, ThereButFor said:

Oh I wish I could like this a million times!

Thanks.... it's a little over-the-top, kind of cranked up a notch from my usual snark.

[CoachWristletJen]

This is not for the squeamish...

 

James K. was pretty shameless. And, he proved himself to be quite a con artist as indicated by the way he was actually able to manipulate a rather unstable but well intended physical therapist who ended up shelling out thousands of dollars of his own money (from his small business) so that James K could have a special bariatric mattress to accommodate his girth. Also, the guy spent hundreds of dollars of his own money buying them, among other things, the endless array of cleaning supplies needed to maintain James as well as other food items. In spite of their combined welfare checks and paltry living conditions, the family continued to run out of money each month probably because of their outrageous food bill. (The feeding of him must be insanely expensive!) James pretended to exercise, and, he did sit up. I noticed that Dr. Now and his staff always used gloves when handling James which made me think that perhaps he had MRSA or MRSA 2. Certainly the moisture on the backs of his legs were a breeding gown for infections, and the sores and barnacles looked dubious.  Yet, James had no qualms with making his daughter clean the stuff on a daily basis. The physical therapist wore no gloves and I couldn't help but notice that his bare arms were pressing against James oozing sores when he helped James achieve his triumph of sitting up on the show. (Cue jubilant music!)  James seemed to be MRSA waiting to happen if he didn't have it already and it sure looked like he may have had it. I can think of no better way to contract a skin infection than pressing bare skin to open sores. Sorry to be so graphic, but that's what TLC showed to us. The thought of his poor daughter putting his bare hands on those legs of his is enough to keep anyone up at night.

[CoachWristletJen]

On 4/26/2018 at 10:53 PM, AntAnn said:

Well, I think it’s probably difficult for most (not all) to admit they need a therapist. Personally, I have gone through phases depending on the issue. Geez, it took 30 years to get my husband to go for long standing martial issues and now he’s the first to say its time to talk to Ted (our therapist.) 

I can believe Dr. Now’s patients are very scared to step out of their comfort zone and talk to someone. Most of them seem so isolated in their food habit. Some haven’t left their house for years or even meeting new people. Add to that a fear of being judged and maybe even chastised for their behavior. Scary stuff. 

I think you're right.  And, if they get a therapist who comes off as judgmental or talking down to them, all bets are off, and they won't want to go back. There are some wonderful therapists out there, but there are also quite a few duds.  

That's really good that you and your husband are talking to Ted... you're having Ted talks. (Sorry... I couldn't resist. :) But it is positive and can make a big difference! Best wishes! 

[AntAnn]

2 hours ago, CoachWristletJen said:

That's really good that you and your husband are talking to Ted... you're having Ted talks. (Sorry... I couldn't resist. :) But it is positive and can make a big difference! Best wishes! 

Thank you! It has really helped.

[pieinmyeye]

I’m a fairly new to this show. One of the first episodes I watched was Penny’s. I think it was her sister who said that if her husband doesn’t get exactly what she wants at the store she gets very angry. So what? It’s not like she can get off the bed and beat him up. Maybe he’s afraid if she loses too much weight she’ll lose her disability check and he’ll have to get a j.o.b. Personally I would rather do anything than sit at home and wipe her enormous ass. Of course he doesn’t have to clean her vagina anymore as she so proudly announced she can do it now. Isn’ t that something to proudly announce to the world on TV? SMDH!!

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I think it was her sister who said that if her husband doesn’t get exactly what she wants at the store she gets very angry. So what?

I think it's two things. First, I think many of the enablers on the show are highly conflict avoidant. Second - I think if one hasn't been in the situation (and I have not), it's difficult to imagine how incredibly unpleasant it is to live with these people, particularly when they are angry. For whatever reason, popping in air pods or leaving the house doesn't seem to be an option so it's either feed these people or listen to an unending stream of nasty. None of these people live in large homes so I imagine that there's no escape from a tirade when the patient is upset.

I think so many of these relationships are incredibly dysfunctional - to a degree that (again), if you haven't been there, it's tough to imagine. I do think that there is love between patient and enablers though it's not a healthy dynamic. So many people equate love with making someone happy and for the patients, food (large quantities of unhealthy, high calorie food) is what makes them happy. It's what keeps peace in the home. Think of every unhappily married couple you have ever known; all the reasons they don't divorce (kids, finances, emotional inertia, preferring the devil you know to one you don't) - those are the same reasons these enablers don't just pick up and leave. The enabling with food is part of what keeps the bad situation a little easier for the enabler.

Edited May 23, 2018 by Elizzikra

[CoachWristletJen]

On 3/20/2017 at 10:51 AM, AZChristian said:

Not only that . . . if Dr. Now were to have read this, the PT would be dropped from his list of support providers.

ETA:  Rudi Pijnnaken is the owner of a company that employs over 80 physical therapists and services all kinds of nursing homes, etc.  Yeah.  He's going to be personally going to James' place to get him to sit up.  But only if there are cameras there.  It's odd that Lisa said, "It's good to see you again" when he went into the apartment.  Scripted???

I didn't realize this because he came across as some poor sucker who had maybe one (1) other employee in his international domain. Maybe two.

What really made him look like a sucker was the direct skin-to-skin contact with James MRSA-ish looking sores during the triumphant sitting up session. (Cue Lifetime music.)

[Otter]

I thought I had seen every episode (yeah, no life) but I missed the "where are they now" on Bettie Jo and it was re-

aired today.,  
I was stunned that BJ and Josh were so ANGRY that Dr, Now said that BJ needed a biopsy. It was like they were both hoping for cancer.  

They disgusted me.  I know they're mental midgets, but still ...  

Rant off.  :)

[CoachWristletJen]

Just found these photos online that document Lisa at the beginning and end of her weight loss journey.

[Tabbygirl521]

17 hours ago, CoachWristletJen said:

Just found these photos online that document Lisa at the beginning and end of her weight loss journey.

Thank you so much. I am reading this in bed, choking with trying not to guffaw and wake up my husband. 

I know it’s mean to mock the afflicted but WHY would she pose all sprawled like this? Criminy.  

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders, What do we do? We avoid discussing how money is being snatched from the public's wallet for the participants unless it’s specifically revealed on the show. Anything else is pure speculation not to mention also a slippery slope toward talking politics. 

[thebigboot]

Bettie jo

Starcasm posted this on the 5th

[DC Gal in VA]

On 12/16/2018 at 2:08 PM, thebigboot said:

Bettie jo

Starcasm posted this on the 5th

Just saw this post; I haven't been around much since last season ended.

Yikes @thebigboot I can't believe that TLC is actually considering yet another follow-up on this proven con artist, that is if we can believe this "fact" is true since it seems to have originated from the mouth of Bettie Jo.

Funny that those reporters at Starcasm didn't know that her devastating spinal condition was exposed as a total lie during an office visit with Dr. Now, heh heh you know the one where her hubby blew up at Dr. Now and stormed out of his office since he believed that Dr. Now was being unfair since they hadn't had the opportunity to properly examine her condition under a "telescope."

 Damn, that poor, poor adorable little boy having these two as parents.